


False Smiles

by meglorraine



Series: November 2016 Prompts [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Nightmares, Tony can't sleep, it really hurts when you're in pain and other people don't notice, tony should talk to someone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 11:36:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9121756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meglorraine/pseuds/meglorraine
Summary: It really hurts when you're falling to pieces and no one notices.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I did a month long writing challenge in November, this is from the 18th prompt "False Smiles."

Tony gasped awake, still reeling from the nightmares. He groaned as Friday talks him through his usual wake up. The date, time, location, who is on the premises. The usual.

Glancing around Tony’s vision clears of the last remnants of his nightmare. The workshop is as he left it. DumE, You, and Butterfingers are all in their charging stations. Tools are scattered about the the half finished projects they belong to. There’s two partial suits hanging from some chains, waiting for their upgrades. One workbench has what looks like a pile of sticks, or rather a pile of some prototype trick arrows for Clint.

Tony stretches out his back as he stands unsteadily from the couch. He should really stop sleeping down here. Or just get a new couch. Yeah, let’s go with a new couch. He zombie shuffles over to the kitchenette that has been named DumE’s Cafe. Steve even painted a sign with a small menu of what is allowed in the smoothies. Tony swings open the refrigerator and pouts. There is nothing in there, DumE must’ve used the last of the ingredients for that mystery smoothie from two days ago. He shuffled through the cabinets, finding nothing. Not even the coffee.

Sighing in defeat, Tony shuffled out of the lab and into the elevator. He had less than two minutes to create a face that wont get him yelled at by his teammates. Specifically Steve. He’s technically supposed to tell someone when he can’t sleep instead of spending days on end in the workshop. It was a house rule for everyone.

The elevator arrived on the common floor and he shuffled his way into the kitchen. Bruce was at the counter, reading the newspaper. Natasha and Clint were eating cereal in their pajamas. Thor had two boxes of pop-tarts in front of him, one was most likely empty by now. Steve was at the stove making, what was that? An omelette? Sure, an omelette.

“Morning” he said with a smile, heading straight for the coffee pot. It was hot and looked fresh. Tony poured himself a cup and grabbed some bread to throw in the toaster. He opened the fridge and took his time debating between the five kinds of jam in there. Why so much jam? Who went shopping last? What even is a Mulberry? The toaster popped up his toast and he grabbed the blueberry jam. He spread a not-so-healthy dose of jam on his toast and tried to make his exit as fast as possible.

“Hey, Tony. Haven’t seen much of you around the Tower lately.” Steve said from his place at the stove. Tony paused halfway to the elevator.

He glanced over his shoulder, throwing a grin at Steve, “Sorry. I’m close to finishing an important project for SI.”

Steve looked at him for a moment, and then turned back to his omelette. Tony scurried back into the elevator and down to his workshop. Sipping his coffee to try and ignore the pain in his lungs. Which is silly. The whole point of faking a smile is to get away with it. So why does Tony always feel worse after?


End file.
